Sunday, October 5, 2008

Road trip to "Airing of the Quilts" in Tunkhannock, Pa

Hi there Blogland Neighborhood! It's another beautiful day here in northeastern Pa! Sunny blue skies, and 65 degrees ......PERFECT !!! Yesterday was a carbon copy of today so Nancy (i.e. my mother) and I decided to be excused from Evan's soccer game (now don't you judge me....my guilt over floweth, as usual... BUT I have been to EVERY single home game and missed only 1 away game so far this season .... and we're talkin' 2 or 3 games PER WEEK!! .... so, I'm excused!) ANYHOW, as I was saying, before my self imposed feeling of having to defend myself over missing a soccer game (not to mention Matt's dirtbike race today ..... I'm now wallowing in guilt and am thinking I should bake some cupcakes or something for Matt and Evan to redeem myself from my "terrible mother "status.....)

ANYHOW,....anyhow, as I was saying, yesterday was a beautiful day so mom and I decided to get out of town for the day .... we took a drive (about an hour and a half, or not quite) up to Tunkhannock, Pa to their annual "Airing of the Quilts" outdoor quilt show. This was the first time we were ever to this quilt show and believe you me .... it did NOT disapoint!!! First of all, Tunkhannock is such a quaint town with great old homes (on which the quilts were displayed!...I'll show you in a minute). Second of all, it is the home of Endless Mountains Quiltworks (whose owner originated the "Airing of the Quilts" show modeled after the Sisters, Oregon outdoor quilt show).

OK, so after an uneventful trip up Rt 81 then onto Rt 309 (thanks, George....Dad....for printing out those directions for us.... I was the "pilot" and Nancy was the navigator ... a potentially bad combination, but yesterday it was a smooth trip) anyhow, once we arrived in Tuhkhannock, our first stop (after the bathroom at a donut shop and a purchase of more drinks and some pretzels .... weren't we well behaved when we did NOT succumb to the donuts!?!?!!! Nerves of steel, I tell ya....) ANYHOW .... our first stop was Endless Mountains Quilt shop BECAUSE it's a quilt shop ....DUH!.... and BECAUSE .....

....this lady was there! This is Sieglinde Shoen Smith and here she is signing her book for me "Mother Earth and Her Children"......and, she also let me take pictures of her GORGEOUS quilt (also called "Mother Earth and Her Children") ! (which took her 1 year and 1 day to make .... completely by hand .... no machine work on this baby AT ALL!) Here, take a look.....


......isn't that incredible!!!!! (click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see it better) .... it's just amazing to see this in person (I first saw this quilt a couple of years ago at the Quilter's Heritage quilt show in Lancaster,Pa. and I just had to see it again!). In addition to this first quilt she made, there were also 4 miniquilts she has since made (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) that were also on display .....



....this is "Fall" and a part of "Winter" and I guess a smidge of "Summer"....all of them are just amazing!!!


Anyhow, after we finished in the quilt shop, we headed outside into the beautiful sunshine to take a stroll along the main street of Tunkhannock ..... so, go fix yourself a cup of tea and grab some crumpets (I have no idea what crumpets are, but they seem to go with tea .....) OR grab a beer and a slice of pizza if that's more your speed .... but hurry back , and relax and come for a stroll to see THE QUILTS!!!

OK .... all set? Here we go....(don't forget to click on any of these pictures to see them better)

I LOVE this HUGE house!!
PORCHES !! LOVE PORCHES!!












Isn't this antique firetruck great!!





Well, I've kept quiet long enough......WASN'T THAT A GREAT QUILT SHOW ?!?!?!!! Not to mention TO DIE FOR HISTORIC HOUSES WITH PORCHES!!! Nancy kept saying "I'd really love to see the inside of those houses" ......


....and here she is trying to sneak up and take a peek in a side window .... these are the times when I pretend I don't know her.....

Anyhow, this brings us to the conclusion of our outdoor quilt show extravaganza post. We hope you've enjoyed your tour and will come back again soon to visit us here at "Moonbeams in a Jar" (where nothing escapes our keen sense of observation and photographic skills......)

Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

18 comments:

Joy said...

I'm so jealous ;o)!! What a fabulous day you had!!! I just LOVE Sieglinde Shoen Smith's "Mother Earth and her Children" quilt. What a work of art that is, and all by hand ... WOW, she's a remarkable woman!! I'll definitely be looking out for her book. The airing of the quilts looks fabulous too .... BIG pat on the back for not getting the donuts .... pretty sure I wouldn't have been so strong LOL ;o).

Dandelion Quilts said...

Mare....I always love stopping by your blog because you just make me smile. What a lovely day you had with your mom. THOSE quilts are just gorgeous, and what perfect fall weather to have a show. YOU should have no mama guilt, we all need some me time sometimes. Wish I was there....

Nancy said...

OH my..... they are lovely. Is there information on the web about this event? It isn't too far away from me.

Isn't Sieglinde amazing. She is an incredible speaker and her book and quilt are lovely.

Glad you had a good time.

Hugs!
Nancy

Vickie E said...

that looks so cool...wish I could have seen it in person!

Anonymous said...

A beautiful quilt show with the quilts hanging on porches.

Unknown said...

You did a great job of documenting Airing of the Quilts. Did you ask Sieglinde if "she allowed photos of her quilts to be taken?" I was standing waiting for her to sign my books when someone asked her and I'm wondering if it was you. I read your blog daily since we kind of neighbors and I'm so glad you enjoyed EMQ since it's my regular shop as it's the closest. Although I do trapse down to Lehighton now and again to visit the Quiltery.

Queenly Things said...

Oh. My. Goodness. I have seen so much about that lady and her illustrious quilt and to think you got to see her in person. Chance of a lifetime.
What a day! What a display!! Hey, and passing up the donuts? That is enough right there to keep any other guilt at bay.

Deb Legg said...

Oh! Next year, and I'm taking my mom!

Thanks so much - What a beautiful idea!

Mona said...

What an amazing quilt show! It took me a few minutes to get past that gorgeous Victorian Painted Lady. All I can say is WOW! Thank you for sharing!!

Dawn said...

GET. OUT!

You did not meet Sieglinde Shoen Smith? And actually see that amazing quilt????

And all of those gorgeous Victorian homes airing their gorgeous quilts....

Wow. I am speechless. And I'm telling everybody that I know you.

Mom IsAmagpie said...

I want to see that quilt so badly!!! My girls LOVE that story so much!!! Is she touring? I want to go see her, I feel like my oldest talking Jonas.
sigh
What have I become?

Heidi Kaisand said...

Beautiful, beatiful, beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa said...

Thanks for sharing! I love the houses almost as much as the quilts!

Busy Little Quilter said...

I think if I had a house with front porches like those, I would have quilts hanging everywhere. They added to the charm of the homes.

That was beautiful, Mary Ann! Thanks for sharing!

Laume said...

So much better than hanging the quilts in a ill lit auditoreum - thank you for sharing all those gorgeous photos. Wish I'd been there in real time!

Happy Zombie said...

I'm so envious you got to see Mother Earth and Her Children in real life! I've only seen photos, and I'm madly in love with it.

Thank you for the tour, I loved it (would have rather been there with you). And next time, give your friend Nancy the camera when she's peeking... I want to see the insides too!

Jennifer Paganelli said...

what an amazing event, those beautiful houses and those beautiful quilts...Jennifer

Nan said...

What a perfectly wonderful day! I think Sieglinde Shoen Smith is an extremely talented lady, and you are SO lucky you got to meet her! All the photos are incredible - I love the houses AND quilts! I am going to visit there someday, that's for true! Thanks for sharing, Mary Ann!